Estate Planning
First, think about how to protect your assets. Your assets include houses, cars, stocks and other investments. It also includes your debts – which may be passed on to your loved ones.
Life insurance can help ensure your mortgage and child’s tuition is paid in the event of your death. A fiduciary advisor can help you determine the right amount of life insurance for your family.
For couples, estate planning can help ensure your loved one can continue their standard of living. Setting your beneficiaries for investments and retirement plans now can help your family manage their lifestyle.
Helping children and grandchildren pay for college is a good way to create generational wealth. Transferring assets to a college saving account – like a 529 plan – now may be more tax efficient than having those assets transferred to a college-aged relative after you die.
Whether for tax planning reasons or a genuine desire to leave a legacy through philanthropy – or both, charitable giving is important in estate planning. Giving gifts to charitable organizations – a nonprofit organization that qualifies for tax-exempt status – can reduce the financial size of your estate. This can lower your taxes.
Your financial advisor is part of an estate planning team. A will, durable power of attorney, living will and living trusts are legal documents that an estate attorney will work on. But your advisor can make sure you title your assets (brokerage accounts, homes, cars and such) into the trust.
Naming a financial power of attorney is a critical part of your estate plan. Eric and his team at SkyBlue are based on personal relationships and will be there to help. Your loved ones will not be calling a corporate office. There’s a lot for your family to think about when you are no longer there to manage your finances, an independent advisor can be there to help.